Weighing-scale.



P, D. WEST.

WEIGHING SCALE.

APPLICATION FILED APE.1,1905.

Patented Aug. 24, 1909.

3 SHEBTS-SHEET 1.

F. D. WEST.

WEIGHING SCALE. APPLICATION FILED APR.1,1908. 931 ,909, Patented Aug.24, 1909 s SHEETS-SHEET 2.'

F. D. WEST.

WEIGHING SCALE.

APPLICATION FILED APR'.1.1908.

'93 1 ,909. Patented Au 24, 1909.

Q /2 4 v w Q J JJQ8 09 MM UNITED STATES PATENT anion;

FRED 1). WEST, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

WEIGHING-SCALE To all whom it mo"! concern: 7

Be it known that I, FRED D. WEST, a citi-" zen'of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Weighing-Scales, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in we ghing scales, and moreparticularly-to weighing scales for association with refrigerators,arranged to support the ice upon the scale platform, and to indicate ata suitable point, visible from the exterior of the refrigerator, theweight of the ice therein, so that the weighings of the ice dealers maybe readily checked upland the quantity of ice within the refrigeratoraccurately ascertained at any time without opening of the icecompartment.

One of the objects of my invention .is to provide a refrigerator scalearrangement wherein the scale elements will not be subj eat to, theeffects of moisture and cold within the ice chamber; to provide anadvantageous .scale construction particularly adapted for refrigerators,and to provide a generally improved scale movement.

In the drawing; Figure 1 is a front elevation of a refrigerator, showingthe indicating mechanism of the scale as applied thereto in oneembodiment of my invention. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on line 2-2of Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a vertical section on line 33 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 isa horizontal section through the ice chamber. Fig. 5 is an enlargeddetail of a portion of the scale lever mechanism. Fig. 6 is an enlargeddetail of a scale beam, supports and connection. Fig. 7 is an.

enlarged detail of the connection between two scale beams. Fig. 8 is afront elevation of a modified form of scale indicator.- Fig. 9 is a sideelevation thereof. Fig. 10'i's a detail of the indicating cylinder,

In the drawings 1 indicates in general a refrigerator casing providedwith a door 2 openinginto the ice compartment 3 which is preferablygenerally rectangular in shape and provided with a top 4 crowned by aboundary wall 5 surrounding a horizontal space or chamber 6 in which isplaced the scale beam mechanism, to be described. In the chamber 6 thusprovided is arranged a rectan lar frame 7. and upon the side members osaid frame 7 near the rear extremity thereof, are provided twosupporting pins,

9 -9, constituting a pair, arrangedin axial Specification of LettersPatent. Patented Aug. 24, 1909. Applicationfiled April 1, 1908.

Serial No. 424,560.

alinement in confronting relation, and near the front extremities ofsaid side member are arranged a like pan of supporting pins 9 9",

- in similar relation, all of said pins being in the same horizontalplane, and each such pin being preferably round.

From each of the pins or supports 9, and 9 is suspended a link orloop10, of generally elliptical shape, having its upper rounded end grooved,as at 11, to form a saddle to accurately position it upon the support 9.Bearing upon the lower closed end of each loop is a downwardly presentedknife edge, or fulcrum 12, projecting from the arm 13 of a hanger 11,which has also an oppositely projecting arm 15, carrying an upwardlypresented knife edge or fulcrum 16. -The two rear flanges are connectedtogether by a transverse bar fixed against rotation in such hangers; tothis end the bar 17, being preferably a square rod. turned to diagonalposition, and engaging correspondingly shaped sockets in the bracket 14.The front hangers are correspondingly connected by bar 17. Approximatelymid-way of its length the bar 17 has fixed thereto a lever arm or beam18, projecting forward at an angle slightly above the horizontal,'nearly to the front wall of the frame 7, the extremity 18 of said armbeing appropriately bowed where it passes over the bar 17. Said frontbar 17 is provided with a rearwardly extending lever arm 18 extendingdownward slightlybelow the horizontal, to

crums 16, that is to say, at the center of the scale lever movement.

The load platform is supported from the a four hangers 1 1. To this endI arrange Within the rectangular ice chest 3 a hprizontal icerack 23 ofsuitable construction,

constituting a scale platform, such ice rack "ice rack 23 is supportedfor vertical move- .rhent and guidedly maintained against lateralmovement, so that the weight of any mass of ice placed thereon fallsequally upon the four points 16.

The downward pull of the load is resisted by a suitable spring connectedto the lever i system, with which is also operatively associated anindicating mechanism which may, in thebroader aspect of my invention, beof any desired construction.

Specifically in the construction shown in Figs. 1 and 3 the extremity 13of lever arm 18 is provided with a pin 30 engaging a link 31 directlyconnected with a tension spring 32 contained within a casing 33, mountedupon the top of the wall 5 and adjustable by means of a nut 34: engagingthe stem to which the upper end of the spring 32 is attached. On thefront face of the casing 33 is provided a dial 36 and a hand 37 isarranged upon a staff 38 for movement over the dial, said staff 38,within the casing, being provided with a pinion 39 meshing with the rack40, connected to and movable with the link 31. For some of the purposesof my invention, however, I prefer that the 1 indicating mechanismshould be embodied,

as shown in Figs. 8 and 10, that is to say, arranged below the upperedge or wall 5, l

and to this-end I preferably arrange between the face of therefrigerator and the overhanging ornamental top thereof a suitablerounded, elongated casing 11, having reading aperture 42 extendinglongitudinally of its face, closed by a glass, bearing a longitudinalsight line, and within such casing I. arrange for rotation a weightindicating cylinder 43, longitudinally elongated, and having markedthereon in a continuous spiral form the weight indication marks at, asshown in Fig. 10, such marks by reason of their spiral arrangement beingclearly separated and widely spaced apart, so that very minutegradations may be accurately represented, with ample space for legibleindications of the weights. The means for moving the cylinder 14: are inprinciple the same as those heretofore described for moving the handoverthe dial, such means consisting of a pinion 45, associated for rotationwith the cylinder 43, said pinion being engaged by a rack-bar 46, heldnormally in raised position by a tension spring 17 and directlyconnected with the extremity 18 of the beam or lever 18.

As a further refinement, 1 preferably proa removable vide means fortemporarily positively supporting the ice platform against depression,so that when ice is thrown thereon the strains may not fall upon thescale movement or connecting links, but is taken upon the positivesupports. In the construction shown 5050 indicate cams whereof four areprovided below the corners of the platform, such cams being arranged infront and rear pairs upon parallel shafts 51, provided centrally withlever arms 52 engaging an actuating slide rod 53 extending to theexterior of the refrigerator lVhen the rod 53 is pushed in the cams arerotated to free the platform, but when said rod is drawn out, the camselevate the platform to take its weight off of the links and leversnormally supporting it.

It will be observed that the scale construction heretofore describedcomprises an ar-- rangement with the hangers and levers substantiallyall in a horizontal plane and occupies only such a limited, verticalcompass as to add but little to the height of an ice box orrefrigerator, while disposing the le ver mechanism in position free fromthe damaging effect of the moisture and cold which exists within the icebox; and further, that it affords a simple, efficient and accurateweight indicating means.

While I haveherein described the scale movement merely as applied torefrigerators, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that thescale might be used in other environments, and that numerous changes inthe specific construction might be made without departure from thespirit and. scope of my invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim is;

1. The combination with a. refrigerator, of an ice platform within therefrigerator, a scale lever mechanism confined within an area of smallvertical dimensions outside of and above the refrigerator, and operativeconnections between the lever mechanism and the platform.

2. The combination with a refrigerator having an ice chamber therein, ofan ice platform within the chamber, a scale lever mechanism locatedabove the platform and occupying a horizontal space of small verticaldimensions, and providing sunpension points adjacept to verticalalinement with the corners of the platform, andsuspension linksconnecting the corners of the platform with the suspension points of thescale-lever mechanism.

3. The combination with a refrigerator providing a top and an icechamber belowthe top, having only guidingapertures through said top, ofan ice platform within the chamber, a scale lever mechanism locatedabove said top comprising horizontal rods and levers, and occupying aspace of small vertical dimension, (and suspension members, extendingthrough the guiding apertures in the top, and connecting the scale levermech anism and the platform.

4:. The combination with a refrigerator casing providing an ice chamber,and a horizontal space above said ice chamber, of small verticaldimension, and substantially closed to the ice chamber of an iceplatform in the ice chamber, a scale lever mechanism comprisingsubstantially horizontal levers in the space above said chamber,suspension mem bers connecting the ice platform and lever mechanism, andweight indicating means operatively associated with said lever mech-]anism, exposed at the exterior of the casing. 5. The combination with arefrigerator casing providingan ice chamber having a horizontal top, ofan ice platform within the chamber, a scale mechanism above andsupported on the top of said chamber, com prising parallel bars runningtransversely across the top, and pivotally supported, ap-

proaching levers connected to said bars, the lever connected to the rearbar extending forward into proximity to the front of the top, a centrallink whereon said levers bear in opposite direction, means connected, tothe upwardly bearing, forwardly extending lever only opposing thedepression of said lever, indicating means-operatively connected withthe extended end of said lever, and suspension links connecting the iceplatform with the parallel bars.

(3. The combination with a refrigerator providing an ice compartment,having a top;

a platform within the ice compartment, a frame above the top of saidcompartment,

links suspended from said frame, hangers pivoted at one extremity tosaid links, connoctiens from the opposite extremity of said hangers tothe platform, parallel rods each -sccured to a pair of hangers between.their ends, levers mounted on said rods, connected together midwaybetween the rods, means for resisting depression of said lever, andindicating means associated with the levers for actuation thereby.

' 7 In a weighing scale, a weight receiving platform, an index cylindermounted for rotation by depression of said platform, said 1 cylinderhaving on its cylindrical face a series of indications arrangedsuccessively in a spiral line, and a casing providing a narwveightindicating mechanism row longitudinal reading aperture, parallel withthe axis of rotation of the cylinder arranged for the display of any oneof the spirally arranged indications presented during the rotation ofthe cylinder.

- 8. The combination with, a refrigerator having a solid top, and afront opening, giving access to an ice chamber, of a n1ovableic'eplatform within the chamber, suspension links extending from the fourcorners of said platform through the closed top, a scale lever mechanismproviding four 1 points of suspension near the corners of saidconnection between said indicating part and the forwardlyextended lever,and a spring opposing depression of said lever.

9. The combination with a refrigerator providing an ice chamber having asub stantially closed iltop and a closable front opening, of an i'ceplatform within said chamber, suspension means for said platformextending through the otherwise closed top of the chamber, va frame ofsmall vertical dimensions surrounding the top of said refrigerator, ascale lever mechanism contained within said frame and providing aforwardly extending depressible part terminating'in close proximity tothe front of the refrigerator, a weight indicating mechanism exposedupon the front of the refrigerator, operative connections between saidindicating mechanism and saidlever, and a spring opposing depression ofsaid lever.

In testimony, whereof I hereunto set my hand in the presence "of twowitnesses.

. 1 FRED 1). WEST.

In the presence o fP-:

' Foiuin BAIN',

MARY F. ALLEN.

